


The Wedding Guest

by Laurel_Writes



Series: Meryl and Maks after DWTS [2]
Category: Maksyl - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-22 16:08:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2513870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laurel_Writes/pseuds/Laurel_Writes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maks sees a photo on Twitter of Meryl having dinner with a goodlooking man and is not happy about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wedding Guest

The Wedding Guest

 

“So who is this guy?”

“What guy?

“The one you’ re sitting in a fancy restaurant having dinner with, who do you think?” Maks sounded exasperated.

“Oh. That’s a friend of Charlie’s. Or Tanith, I’m not sure.

“So tell me about this friend.”

“Not much to tell. Let me think. He’s a lecturer at UM, he teaches sociology and is working on his thesis. He used to play hockey for the school—that may be where they know him from.”

“He’s single?”

“I didn’t ask, but I assume so, since he asked me out to dinner.”

“So he thinks you’re single, too?”

“I’m not sure where you’re going with this, but technically I _am_ single, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Maks was silent for a moment. “I don’t feel good about this.”

Meryl had begun the conversation feeling a little defensive, but now she was becoming irritated. “Well, welcome to the club, buddy.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You tell me: what is it you don’t feel good about?”

“Seeing you on a date with another man, that’s what.”

“So, it’s okay for you but not for me; is that it?”

Maks went on the offensive. “You know we agreed that I would stay out and about and be seen with women sometimes to show that you and I were no more than friends. We discussed all this, and you agreed.”

“And the reason we didn’t talk about my side of the bargain is that paparazzi are not stalking me everywhere and the raciest photo you ever see of me in the tabloids is cuddling up to a pediatrician or 12-year-old fan. But do you really expect me to sit at home every night reading, or knitting, or catching up on old episodes of Friends?” Meryl was starting to feel really annoyed, something that didn’t happen often. But when it did, the smart money was on thinking twice about getting in her face.

“Of course not. And you’re right—we never talked about that part. I guess I just made some assumptions, and you’ve warned me about that often enough.”

“What kind of assumptions?” she asked.

“About the normal social life of a person who is studying full time and performing and traveling the other 100% of the time in ice shows. I guess I thought there wouldn’t be much time for a social life, and maybe that there wasn’t a lot of opportunity in the Detroit area. Which is ridiculous, of course. I guess I have to admit I wasn’t thinking very much at all.”

Good. He was backing down. He knew what was good for him.

In a much more conciliatory tone he asked, “So, how did this come about, this dinner date?”

“Charlie and Tanith were having a party, and this guy was there.”

“This guy have a name?”

“Of course. Russ. Short for Russell, I guess. Last name Granberg.”

“Okay. So he was at the party, and then?”

“Well, we got to talking before dinner. I’d never met him, so I did the usual, asked him about his studies, and that kind of connected with what I am studying, and we ended up in a pretty nice conversation, and then we were seated next to each other at dinner, and one thing led to another. So he asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner, and--” she hesitated.

“And?”

“Well, of course I wanted to turn him down, but what reason could I give? We obviously got along, and I couldn’t very well say I was seeing someone, because there were all these friends of Charlie’s around who knew—or thought they knew—that I hadn’t been seeing anyone since Fedor. So it just seemed easier to agree. Anyway, nobody’s taken me out to dinner for a long time, and I thought it would be nice—you know, to be treated like something special, and have a chance to eat something more interesting than what I know how to cook, and I did enjoy talking to him. He’s a nice guy, and smart. And Charlie and Tanith know him, so I wasn’t worried he would turn out to be some kind of creep.”

“Weren’t you worried that he—uh, felt more than just liking for you?”

“Of course I thought about it, but I figured I could deal with it when it came up, if it did.”

“And did it?”

“Maks, I’m not sure I really appreciate being cross-examined like this! When have I ever asked you about the women you go out with? When have I uttered a word of complaint? When have I shown you the slightest hint that I don’t trust you?”

“You never have. And I don’t exactly go out with them, though that’s not the point. But now I’m wondering—seeing how I feel now. How much have you been suppressing? I know you, you don’t always—in fact, you almost never let on when you are feeling physical pain, and since that time you were sick [see Note], I know you push down a lot of emotional things, too. And if I’m feeling like this about your having an innocent dinner, then I wonder what it’s really been like for you.”

“Look, Maks, I’m a big girl, and we made a bargain. I’m keeping to my side of it, just as I promised. Why can’t you just let me enjoy myself a couple of times? It may seem pretty insignificant to Mr. Hollywood playboy, but I’m having a nice time, and when he makes a move, as I’m sure he will soon, I’ll have to shut it down, anyway.”

He didn’t dare ask her if she was sure, not after that ‘Mr. Hollywood’ crack. Safer to move on to other topics, like both of their schedules in the upcoming weeks, what was up with Jenna and Serge and Nicole, which skaters from Canton were planning to do The Ice, and the beginnings of a plan to create a Sway-like dance performance event at DWMSO in the summer.

After they had hung up, Maks paced around the living room. The conversation with Meryl had been the last straw that broke the back of a frustrating week. Val was still in contention for the Mirror Ball on Season 20, but ratings were plummeting and the show’s future was in doubt. Halfhearted negotiations had begun about him taking a judging position, but at the same time the show’s production heads were sending out mixed messages about plans for the future—maybe another All Star season, maybe one of any number of ever more crazy format changes—Maks couldn’t keep up with it all. His auditions for acting jobs were going nowhere, and one of his teachers had finally sat him down just yesterday and told him he should face the fact that his talents really did not lie in that direction. She advised him to go back to his agents and try to pinpoint a niche that was more suited to his talent—he was entertaining enough when he was just being himself—he might be able to go into hosting, or perhaps even stand-up comedy. He missed his friends and family in New York. He missed Meryl most of all. He’d flown back east when the tour was performing in Newark, and he’d been able to spend a couple of days with her when they were in Southern California. But just when she and Charlie had finally arrived back in Michigan, he had had to fill in for Rib and Elena in Sherman Oaks for two weeks, so they could finally take a long-awaited and well deserved vacation.

It was only 9 p.m. Friday night, but he couldn’t work up any enthusiasm about wandering over to the Warwick to check out the scene. Val was out at some kind of opening for his current celebrity, an actress whom he really didn’t care for. He wasn’t much of a reader, but he thought about picking up the recording of _The Jungle Book_ that Meryl had made for him and given him for his 35 th birthday.

He lay down on the chaise longue and started up the recording. He had only made it through a few chapters. The next one was “Tiger, Tiger.”

> 
>     What of the hunting, hunter bold?  
>     > 
>     Brother, the watch was long and cold.  
>     > 
>     What of the quarry ye went to kill?  
>     > 
>     Brother, he crops in the jungle still.  
>     > 
>     Where is the power that made your pride?  
>     > 
>     Brother, it ebbs from my flank and side.  
>     > 
>     Where is the haste that ye hurry by?  
>     > 
>     Brother, I go to my lair—to die.
> 
> Now we must go back to the first tale. When Mowgli left the wolf's cave after the fight with the Pack at the Council Rock, he went down to the plowed lands where the villagers lived, but he would not stop there because it was too near to the jungle, and he knew that he had made at least one bad enemy at the Council. So he hurried on, keeping to the rough road that ran down the valley, and followed it at a steady jog-trot for nearly twenty miles, till he came to a country that he did not know. 

Hearing her voice was like having her sit next to him and speak into his ear—as she had done many nights when they were together. It made his heart swell, but then, when he thought of the Twitter photo of Meryl’s dinner date—which he’d never have seen if a fan hadn’t recognized her, he felt a stabbing pain there. Tears came to his eyes—frustration with the way his life had been going, jealousy—he had to call a spade a spade here—love and nostalgia, something that was almost homesickness. He let himself be overcome and, covering his eyes with his hands, sobbed quietly for a minute or two. 

"Pulled yourself together!" He could almost hear his father's voice. All about the end result. What _was_ the end result?

Maks strode into the kitchen, splashed water on his face, and started a pot of coffee. Lately he had been glossing over the emotions that sometimes threatened to overwhelm him, and it was time to face them. Some roads appeared to be turning into dead-ends. He was being unfair to Meryl. He needed to start looking at the bigger picture and assess where his life was going. He had to face the fact that he was hurting Meryl, even if she was too stoic to admit it. He remembered trying to evade and change the subject when his mother and grandmother had asked about his plans to start a family. A pointless attempt. They knew what was up; their skepticism and disapproval were palpable, though neither of them said a word. There seemed to be a wedge growing even between him and Val. His brother’s growing restlessness, his smoldering discontent, had not escaped his notice, but he had tossed them into the “deal with it later” category.

As he sat with his mug of hot coffee, he grabbed his phone. When he looked at it realistically, he had nothing important scheduled next week. A couple more auditions, a meeting at DWMSO that didn’t need his input, a couple of meetings about promoting his vodka and jewelry line that could easily be postponed. He opened the Orbitz app.

He was packing a small bag when Val arrived home, pretty wasted.

“Hey, bro,” he greeted Maks from the doorway.

“I hope you didn’t drive home like that, dude,” Maks replied, his brow furrowed.

“No, Mom, I did not. Caroline’s driver dropped me. Though I don’t know why you care.”

“Val.” Maks looked at his brother, then stepped over to the door and enveloped him in a big bear hug. “Dude, I’ve been messed up for a while now. I’m sorry I haven’t spent time with you. I know something’s wrong. I was just—I couldn’t deal with it. But it’s okay, I’m starting to deal right now.”

“You going somewhere?” Val asked, looking at the overnight bag on the bed.

“Yes, I’m catching the red-eye to Detroit.”

Val blinked a couple of times, as though he could somehow sober himself up by opening his eyes. “Detroit. Uh, that’s good. About time.”

Maks shot him a look, but said only, “There some coffee made down in the kitchen. It’s pretty fresh, maybe a cup would do you good.”

“Thanks,” Val said, and slapped his brother on the back. “How long you gone?”

“I have no idea, but if it goes the way I hope, I’ll spend a couple of days with her. Maybe we can watch the show together Monday night.”

“Good luck,” Val said, kissing Maks on the cheek and heading down the stairs.

* * * *

After the cab dropped him at her address, Maks looked around. He’d always arrived at the garage and entered the condo through the back way into the kitchen. He suddenly realized how conspicuous he must look in this quiet suburb, standing on her porch with a suitcase—however small--in his hand. He rang the doorbell and prayed she was home. But all remained quiet. The newspaper was already gone, so she must be up and have gone out already.

He sat on the porch and pulled out the phone.

“Where RU?” he texted.

After about a minute, the phone dinged with, “Groc store. Shall I call when I get home?”

“Whatever you’re buying, get enough for 2.”

“What?”

A minute later, her ringtone sounded. “Hi!” he said.

“Maks! You’re coming to visit?” She sounded happy.

“Uh, actually, I’m sitting on your front porch. Uh, surprise!”

“Oh my God, why didn’t you tell me? How long are you staying, what should I get, why are you on the porch? Did you forget to bring your key?”

“To be honest, I forgot I had one.” Maks pulled out his keys and identified the one she had given him almost a year ago. “I never needed it before.”

“Well, use it now—otherwise I don’t know what the neighbors are going to think. I’m probably an hour away, at least, so make yourself comfortable.”

“I will. Thanks. Can’t wait to see you,” Maks answered.

“I can tell,” she answered wryly. “See you soon.”

When Meryl arrived home, a grocery bag in each arm, she peeked into the living room and found Maks asleep on the couch, some South American soccer game playing softly on the television. She smiled and returned to the kitchen, where she started putting things away.

Apparently she wasn’t quiet enough, though, because after a few minutes she felt arms slide around her waist and a scruffy cheek next to her soft one. She backed into her lover, welcoming the embrace, and rubbed her cheek up and down against his. “Hello, sleepyhead. How are you?”

Maks took the bagged vegetables out of her hands and turned her around to face him. Looking longingly into her face, he said, “Much, much better now.”

She put her arms around his neck and they kissed tenderly. His lips left hers and he kissed her eyes, her temples, her cheeks, and then the side of her neck. “Ah, Meryl. God, I could eat you alive. Or just stand here all day breathing you in.”

She smiled and snuggled up against him. “Mmmm.”

They stood that way, silent, for about a minute, then Maks said, “Let me help you put those groceries away, then we can go sit, and talk.”

In five minutes they were done. Maks declined her offer of coffee and fixed them each a glass of ice water, which he carried into he living room and put on coasters on the coffee table.

When they were both seated, he put his arm around Meryl’s shoulders. “Baby, I’m sorry about last night. I’ve been thinking a lot since we talked, and I realized a couple of things.”

“Okay,” she said, a little alarmed and wondering where this was headed.

“It took me by surprise, seeing that picture of you with a good-looking guy, and it’s really stupid that I never thought about it before. I mean, obviously, you’re a beautiful, accomplished woman who’s a celebrity in her own right, young, apparently available. What should surprise me is that eligible men aren’t beating down your door.”

She laughed, “Well, you were right, you know, about my not having a lot of time for that recently. And ‘celebrity’ is a relative term. Not to mention, ice skating fans on the whole I think tend to be female, more than male. And people who know me from Dancing with the Stars are probably my parents’ age, let’s face it!”

“Whatever. But with the shoe being on the other foot, so to speak, I just now realize what I’ve been asking of you all this time. When I saw that picture, and the way you were looking at each other, it’s like, I honestly felt like someone was stabbing me. Not that I _thought_ \--”

He held up his hand to stop her speaking. “--that anything was going on or that you were doing anything wrong, once I had a chance to consider. But just _seeing_ it made me feel so much—fear, and pain, and jealousy, and I must be a complete idiot because it never occurred to me that you might have those kind of feelings, too, even though we’d talked about it and planned it and yada yada.”

“Maks, if you feel you’ve been oblivious or insensitive and you’re only figuring it out now, well, that’s up to you. I knew what I was getting into when we decided on this strategy, so I’m not sure why you feel you need to apologize now.”

“That’s not what this is about, Meryl. And I know you, and I know if you say you are okay with it that could be true, but if it were not true, you would say it anyway, because you don’t want to acknowledge that anything can hurt you. And I don’t believe you, because seeing you with that man hurt me, a lot. And you know, damn it, that the last person I ever want to hurt is you. It’s crazy, it’s like you’re my accomplice in causing you pain.”

Meryl’s gaze wandered over to the window, as she said, “That sounds a bit like blaming the victim, but it’s too convoluted for me.”

“I’m not blaming you, but I almost wish—it would have been better for us to have a fight about this than for me to find out, months after the fact, that this isn’t really working the way I thought, and it’s too late to undo it.”

“Maks, there’s no need to undo anything. We talked about it, we decided, this was how it was going to be. If you have a problem dealing with sauce for the goose, that’s about you, it’s not on me.” Meryl’s ecstatic smile was gone, and she was biting her lip.

“Okay, okay, I’m not saying any of this is your fault—we just are the way we are and I think sometimes I get too much into my own head to pay enough attention to the people I love. It’s been the same with Val. You’re right, this is something about me, something I need to fix.”

They were both silent for a while. Maks absently picked up the remote and switched off the television, which had been playing, unnoticed, in the background.

“So, on the plane I had this thought—are Charlie and Tanith trying to fix you up with someone? And if they are, why? They know what’s going on with us; don’t they?”

“They do, but that doesn’t mean they like it. Mostly, though, they think I ought to have a date for their wedding. They think it’s going to be somehow humiliating if I’m the only woman in their circle of friends who is in the wedding alone.”

Maks was stunned. “What do you mean, alone? I’m invited to the wedding, aren’t I?”

“I’m sure you are, but you’re not going to want to come as my date, not with all the photographers and videographers and wedding guests with phones around the place.”

“Not come as your date...” He sat, slowly shaking his head. “But that’s crazy! Not come as your date to Charlie and Tanith’s wedding? But that’s—that would be heartbreaking. Oh, God, Meryl, is that really what they think?”

“It’s consistent with the plan; isn’t it?” she responded, looking down at the foot of the coffee table.

He grabbed her roughly and pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her neck. “It was a shitty plan, that is more and more apparent. What the hell was I thinking?”

“You were thinking of protecting my privacy and of making it possible for us to meet openly as ‘friends’ and not have to sneak around as much as we used to. And maybe you were thinking of keeping your image as an eligible, sexy bachelor to help you do whatever you wanted to do in Hollywood.” She sounded as though she were trying to persuade herself.

“Ha. That, at least, doesn’t seem to be particularly useful, when you look at everything. Has it occurred to you, my precious princess, that I’m actually a lousy actor?”

“That’s not for me to say. If that’s your dream, why should I be discouraging?

Maks laughed and ran his hands through her hair, which she was wearing down and loose. “A fine line, isn’t there, between honesty and encouragement? Meryl, I obviously need to rethink a lot of things. Can we maybe take a break and go back to what we both know is real before I torture my brain any more with this?”

His voice had become husky and she could hear his desire.

“And what would that be?” she asked, looking up at him between her lashes.

“You know damned well, what’s real is that I love you like I’ll never—like I never could—love anyone else, and in case you don’t believe it I think we could spend a couple of hours while I exert my best efforts at proving it.”

“That sounds like an acceptable proposal,” Meryl replied, holding her hand out to him. “Let’s go upstairs.”

Once in her bedroom, they quickly shed their clothes and got under the covers. They started with long kisses, their tongues dancing in the now familiar choreography, His hands then began roaming, over her shoulders, her breasts, down to her waist. He lowered his head and kissed her breasts, circling the nipple with his tongue and then gently sucking each one. She ran her fingers through his hair, then caressed the back of his neck, then drew her nails lightly over his back, starting at his spine and moving outward. When his hand found the place where her legs joined and he pushed a finger inside her, she gasped and pulled at his waist. “It’s been so long, it’s so good.” He threw the covers back and scooted down the bed until he could replace his finger with his lips and tongue. While he sucked and kissed and squeezed her clitoris with his mouth, she moaned and pulled gently at his hair. Her climax came sooner than he expected, but by this time he was so aroused himself he decided not to prolong the game. After wiping most of her juices off his nose and lips with the sheet, he stretched out alongside her and renewed the deep kisses, while positioning his body to enter hers. She grabbed his biceps as he plunged inside her and began the rhythmic thrusting that was exquisitely angled to stimulate her most sensitive spot. As the sensations overwhelmed her she clasped her legs around his waist, meeting every thrust until they both erupted into prolonged orgasm.

It was not the most long-lasting nor the most inventive lovemaking they had ever shared, but it was exactly what they needed. Maks lay on his back and Meryl on her side up against him, her head on his chest and her hand resting over his rapidly beating heart.

“I missed you,” she said.

“I missed you more,” he answered, the way they always did. “Do you want to talk now, or sleep?”

“Sleep a little, then talk.”

“As you wish, my princess.” He stretched his neck to kiss her temple and let his head fall back on the pillow; in three minutes he was asleep.

When he woke again, Meryl had pushed her pillows up against the headboard and was sitting up, scrolling through her phone.

“Puppies?” he asked. When she nodded he added, “Couldn’t sleep?”

“No, I had a great little nap. I’ve probably only been awake for five minutes.”

“Ah, good. Are you warm enough? Should I get you a robe or something?”

“I’ve got a kimono I like to use. What about you?” She got up and walked, unselfconsciously and delightfully naked, to the closet, pulling out a beautiful sapphire blue silk kimono embroidered with dragons and other mystical creatures.

“I’m warm enough for now," he said. "I left my bag downstairs, but we can get it later, maybe after we shower.”

She settled back into the bed, leaning up against the pillows. “So, talk.”

“Okay, so if we circumvent this whole ‘find Meryl a date for our wedding bullshit,’ how do you feel about there being pictures out on social media and maybe in a gossip magazine or two showing us together at Charlie and Tanith’s wedding? Do you feel that would be putting your private life out there too much?”

“Not really. I mean, we were partners on Dancing with the Stars, and that was an experience I shared with Charlie, and his partner Sharna is going to be there, so I don’t see why it should be perceived as anything more than a natural extension of our dance partnership and friendship; do you?”

“I honestly don’t, I think that was one reason I was so shocked at what you told me. I mean, even beyond that, you’ve been in Sway, so you have the Dance With Me connection, and though we don’t have anything specific planned yet because you were so busy with Stars on Ice, we both expect to do more projects with the dance studio; right?”

“That’s what I hoped for and expected. Of course, I do have this little thing called a bachelor’s degree I would like to finish up, so that’s another couple of months, but whatever I decide to do when that’s wound up, I certainly anticipated working with you on dance projects. In fact, I have so many ideas about that, you’re probably going to think I’m a bit obsessed.”

Maks turned his head and looked up at her with a big smile. “You can’t imagine how much I want to hear about those obsessive ideas right now. I’ve been doing some serious thinking about my own future, as well. But not to change the subject here just for another minute. Wait, before we continue, I want to talk to Charlie. Hand me your phone; will you? Mine is in my pants, halfway across the room.

Once the phone was in his hand, Maks scrolled down to Charlie’s name and pushed. Charlie answered after two rings.

“Hey, Mer! How’s it going?”

“Sorry, Charles, it’s me, Maks. I just borrowed Meryl’s phone.”

“Well, hi, Maks! Are you in town? Meryl didn’t say anything.”

“I surprised her. What I’m wondering is, what’s this I hear about you and Tanith trying to fix her up with a date for your wedding? Have I been uninvited?”

“Maks, no way!” Charlie’s infectious laugh spilled out of the phone, and at that point Maks thought to put the phone on speaker. “We just thought—I mean, Meryl told us you guys were trying to stay under the radar, and with all the photographers and stuff, we thought you wouldn’t want to appear as a couple. Is that wrong?”

“No, it’s not wrong, but I’m starting to think it’s not one of the best ideas I ever had. To be honest, the reason I came rushing to Detroit was that I didn’t much like seeing a picture of Meryl out on a date with another guy.”

“Well, since she sees those kinds of pictures of you about every week—and you can be sure there are always so-called friends who are happy to make sure she does see them--I’m not sure what you’re complaining about.”

“Thank you, Charles, I’m beginning to get your point.”

“Not that our situations were the same, but Tanith and I stayed on the down-low at first, too, only she wasn’t seeing my face every other week in People with arm candy hanging off me. The worst she had to live with was fans thinking that Meryl and I were a couple off the ice, but obviously that wasn’t an issue for her. I guess I don’t understand why you feel it’s necessary to keep showing up with all these women, but it’s your life and your plan. But we don’t like seeing Meryl in the position of being the one who never has a date, you know? She never shows it, but I can tell she sometimes feels pretty left out, when all the couples get together and she’s the only one who’s a singleton.”

“But Brooke and those other close friends, they know about us; don’t they?”

“Sure they do, and they may think you’re the sexiest, nicest thing since sliced bread, but then again, where are you?”

Suddenly Maks heard a rustling noise and some clicking, then Tanith’s voice came on the line. “Is this Maks?”

“Yes, and this, I assume, is Tanith?”

“You bet it is. And if you’re finding out how it feels for the shoe to be on your foot, instead if Meryl's, then I for one think it’s about time. How long do you think a woman like Meryl deserves to be treated like your dirty little secret? What’s wrong with introducing her to a guy who can appreciate her the way she deserves and is actually around more than two days a month?”

“Tanith, you are absolutely right, and I’m a complete idiot for taking so long to figure this out. But, in fairness to me, part of this was to ensure Meryl’s private life is protected from all the ugliness, and I thought that was what she wanted.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake. Yes, she’s always been private about her love life, but if you look at who she’s dated before now, who can blame her for keeping it quiet? But you guys—I mean, you brought it on yourselves, falling in love in thousands of living rooms for all the world to see and then trying to hide it? No wonder people are fascinated with every little scrap. Meryl and Charlie are retiring, pretty soon they won’t care what their sponsors think of them, and if you just got married, 90 percent of the world would lose interest in your relationship overnight.”

“Charlie and Meryl are retiring?”

“Oops, I don’t think Hailey has made the announcement yet. Meryl didn’t give you a hint?”

“No, this is the first I’ve heard of it.” He looked at Meryl, who tilted her head to the side and shrugged her shoulders with an adorably confused look. “It’s good to know, though. Don’t even think of apologizing—looking through your eyes I haven’t been treating Meryl the way I should, and I’m going to stay here until we can work out a better plan. I’m grateful she has friends like you and Charlie when I’ve been such a horse’s ass.”

“So, we can expect to see you at the wedding—together?” Tanith asked, not bothering to argue with his description of himself.

He looked at Meryl, who nodded. “Yes, that’s safe to say. And maybe you could have a word with Russ--”

“No,” Meryl interrupted. “That’s on me.”

“If you say so. Scratch that last comment, Tanith, and thanks. Give my love to Charles.”

“So, retiring, eh?” Maks looked at Meryl, not quite accusingly, but with something in his eyes.

“I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. It’s—it opens up a lot of questions for me, which—I mean, I knew last year already that we were heading this way, but I hadn’t even met you, and then, we’ve been so busy. Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I’m getting hungry, so how about that shower, and fetching your clothes, and we can talk over dinner.”

* * *

Maks had felt compelled to take over with dinner, as Meryl’s culinary skills could best be described as basic. But she put together a salad and set the table, and they both enjoyed this rare scrap of domesticity.

“What do you call this again?” Meryl asked, as she took another delicious bite.

“Wiener Schnitzel. Traditionally they make it with veal, but I like it with chicken breast.”

“Funny, we have a hot dog chain here that calls itself Wiener Schnitzel. if I thought they served this, I'd've stopped by before! It's almost like chicken-fried steak, except it’s lots better. I never would have thought of squeezing lemon juice on it.”

“Chicken fried steak probably comes from Wiener Schnitzel, which is also a specialty of Milan. It’s fun to see how some dishes travel all over the world. Did you know tempura was originally a Venetian specialty, exported by Portuguese sailors to Japan?”

“You’d think it’s something I’d’ve learned in anthropology class; wouldn’t you?” Her mood was now lighthearted, and the profound feeling of wellbeing that had come over him was, he realized, something he had not experienced for weeks, maybe months.

Instead of arguing about who should clean up after dinner—they each normally volunteered to do it and begged the other to relax—they wordlessly set about tidying, rinsing, wiping, loading, and putting away, and the job was done in 10 minutes.

“Coffee? Ice cream?” she asked.

“Maybe later,” he replied. “Let’s go sit down again.”

On the couch, he intertwined the fingers of his right hand with those of her left. “Meryl,” he began. “I had a pretty shitty week this week, and maybe that caused me to overreact to that picture and that whole scenario. But I’m glad it did, because it forced me to really think about some things. And I’m still thinking, and it may take me awhile. But one thing should have been obvious a long time ago, and now I want to ask you how you feel about it.”

“Okay,” she said.

“All these plans, all these things that are going to happen in the future, or that I once thought were going to happen in the future, whatever will happen, will happen. I can’t predict, and it could be I’ve been heading in the wrong direction on some of these projects. But, what I was losing sight of is this: one thing is more important to me than anything else, and that’s my family. And you—I know, we’re not technically engaged, and you never came right out and said you would marry me, but when I gave you that ring I think we both understood that we had a special connection, and that we weren’t going to let it be broken, no matter what happens and no matter how long it takes. So, when I say family I am including you in my mind.

“Maks,” she began, “I never meant--”

“No, just let me finish, and then you can tell me. I would like, if you’re willing, to take the rest of this journey, wherever it turns out to lead, with you. I want to make decisions about my future together with you, and I hope you will do the same back with me about your future. I think Tanith had the right idea: we should get married, and—I don’t know, two weeks later post a picture from our wedding on Instagram and screw all the reporters and the paparazzi and, I’ll bet, when they see us together, after the first week or so, nobody will even care, because in the end we’re not really Hollywood types, and there will always be a hotter star and a juicier scandal than a retired athlete, or anthropology professor, or journalist, or whatever you decide to be, and a dance teacher and family businessman getting married and being faithful to each other and, if they are blessed, having children, and living a normal, happy life until they’re old and gray.”

“Somehow I always expected a more romantic proposal from you,” Meryl said, smiling.

“What do you mean? I proposed to you five minutes after I met you! You just never gave me an answer.”

“True, ever the stubborn Capricorn. But seriously, Maks, are you sure about this? As far as our emotional connection, and the physical attraction between us, I can’t imagine experiencing that more than once in a lifetime. So waiting around debating with myself, or waiting until something better comes along—those aren’t even in my thoughts. But there have been two things that held me back. One is my own inability to decide what I want out of life now that my skating career is virtually over—I mean, sure, Charlie and I will still skate together, probably for years, at this or that show, and I could get into coaching or choreography if I wanted. But the world is looking pretty big to me right now, and I have a lot of choices. What I think I'm hearing is that we can be together, regardless—we can be a team, if you will—and I still have to make those decisions, only you will be part of making them and of carrying them out. Does that reflect what you are saying?

“It’s exactly what I’m saying. We can pursue some things—I hope we will pursue dancing, at the very least—together, and in other things we’ll do our own thing, but with the complete support of the other, because we will be true partners.”

“And when our goals are in conflict?”

“We’ll work it out the way we’ve worked everything out so far—discussion, compromise, you calming me down, me giving you courage to fly. With some things, if we can’t agree, maybe we can take turns. I don’t know, but I think when two people want so much to be together, they will figure out how to make these things work.”

“Okay, good,” she said softly.

“And the second thing?” he asked.

“Oh, well, I just wondered—I couldn’t help but wonder—if you were really ready. I mean, there are all these interviews where you talk about wanting to be a father, and have children, and wear your wedding ring with pride, but at the same time you wanted so many other things. Sometimes I think you are still feeling like a kid in a candy store, even more than I am, so you’re reaching in all directions, even if they’re not really compatible with each other. And there’s a whole component of the life you seem to be seeking that is made up of that Hollywood vibe, going out to clubs, beings seen with a lot of women, becoming a new person every time you get interviewed by a different show host—you’re so all over the place, I wasn’t sure you’d ever get back to me—at least, while I’m still of childbearing age.” She smiled to show she was joking, but he could see the concern behind her eyes.

“I see how it looks, and maybe you’re partially right. To go from working pretty much all the time to making good money performing, being recognized, rubbing elbows with celebrities—it was such a big change, and so sudden. I got kind of a big head, I guess, and an exaggerated idea of what I could do. It’s funny, really. Even when I was on the show with you there were at least two interviews that I remember when I showed that I was reluctant to risk trying something I wasn’t already good at—like ice skating, you remember? Yet somehow I thought I could be an actor.” His grin was rueful.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying new things. Where would we be if I hadn’t decided I wanted to learn to dance?”

He pulled her into his arms again and kissed her deeply. Then he dug his hands into the hair on either side of her head and kissed her firmly again. “Don’t even think about that. When I contemplate how we were brought together through the most utterly unlikely series of events, it scares me boneless.”

She hugged him, arms around his neck, and asked “How long are you planning to stay?” she asked.

“That was going to depend on whether you were still speaking to me after our conversation," he answered, his dimples showing. “I’d like to stay long enough to watch the show with you Monday night, maybe a day or so longer. I canceled everything next week. I’m hoping you’ll help me—even if it’s just by listening or acting as a sounding board—while I try to figure things out for myself. Maybe I can do the same for you, though I know you still have two months or so until you’re finished with your B.A.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something? I still haven’t said yes,” she said.

Alarmed, he looked at her and saw with relief that her eyes were sparkling and she was smiling broadly.

“Meryl, will you marry me? Please?” he asked. “Do you need me on my knees?”

“Silly teddy bear. No, you don’t need to, and yes, of course I will. What are you thinking, time-wise?”

“The way I’m feeling today, we’d do it tomorrow. But I know, I know. There’s got to be some planning involved, and it can’t be before Charlie and Tanith. But soon. Maybe the weekend after you graduate? Do you want a _big_ wedding?”

“Not real big—after you’ve won an Olympic Gold Medal you don’t really need another gigantic audience. But I do want to wear a beautiful wedding dress and make your eyes pop out of your head because I’m so gorgeous. And I want to see you in a tux. There are some boating clubs along the shore of the lake, they have the kinds of spaces we could use, and in late May we could even have the ceremony outdoors, maybe. So, I don’t know, maybe 50 people on your side and 50 on mine?”

“That doesn’t sound too daunting.” He smiled. “I give you fair warning, I’ll probably cry. Maybe more than your mom.”

“That’s okay,” she replied. “I love that you’re so tender-hearted.” She nestled into his arms.

“What about our engagement?”

“What about it? You mean, announcing it? What’s the point? I mean, your family, my family, the Whites—nobody else really needs to know; do they?”

“I admit I’d rather not. For one thing, that would just bring up the old stories about Karina. Almost like asking for trouble.”

“So I just keep wearing your ring on my right hand.”

“First of all, it’s your ring, not mine. And second, I actually bought you another ring to be your real engagement ring.”

“What for?” she asked, puzzled.

“Because when I thought about it, I realized you could never wear it when you were skating. That stone really sticks out, and you could hurt yourself, or Charlie, with it. And—you already know I’m a sentimental fool—I don’t want you to ever have to take your rings off. So I got another one; it has a big, narrow, diamond, and some other stones down around the circle, but it’s kind of recessed. Wait a second, I have it in my toiletry bag.”

As he started to get up from the couch, Meryl said, “You’ve been carrying an engagement ring around in your toiletry bag?”

“Well, not all the time. It’s been in the nightstand drawer in the apartment in LA. Guess I’m lucky you didn’t find it by accident.”

“For how long?”

“Uh, well, actually—remember when I came to stay with you a couple of days last August?”

“When you did the mall; yeah.”

“Well, I managed to take your mom aside when they had us over for dinner. She kind of collaborated with me on finding the right one. Just hang on, you’ll see.”

He jogged up the stairs and was back in less than a minute. “Here, give me your left hand.”

She reached it out to him, and he kneeled and slid a white gold ring onto her finger. “It’s called a marquise cut, and it’s inset into the shank, and the sapphires around the circle are called princess cut. So it suits you completely. That is, if you like it.”

“Oh, Maks, it’s beautiful. It’s--” her eyes filled with tears. His strong Meryl, who never cried. He stood and pulled her up from the sofa and into his arms. She put her arms around his neck, and his went around her waist and lifted her off the ground, so she was pressed against his chest.

“Nothing could be good enough for you, but I like it, and it has Cheryl’s seal of approval,” he murmured into her ear. “I’ve been itching to see it on your hand.”

“I wish I could start wearing it now, and you’re right. I’ll never want to take it off.”

“I don’t see why you can’t wear it all the time at home. Anyway, it’s up to you. But probably best to keep it in your inner circle. It won’t be long, a little over two months, and you’ll wear it all the time, and your wedding ring, too.”

“Don’t be mad, but I just had a funny thought,” she said, as he finally released her and they sat back down on the couch.

“What?”

“Well, if I hadn’t accepted Russ’s dinner invitation, and if those fans hadn’t spotted us and posted a picture on Twitter, would you still be sitting in LA, feeling grumpy, and would I be spending the weekend alone again?”

“Babe, I sure hope not. I like to think I was coming around to figuring things out on my own. But there’s no doubt that stab in the heart gave me the push I needed. So, what are you wearing to Charlie and Tanith’s wedding? And what do you want me to wear?”

“As long as it’s not that blue double-breasted jacket. You’d better hope you didn’t pack it for this trip—Tanith and I have a mutual pledge to burn it on sight.”

“Babe, you’re so strict,” he said, putting his arms around her and nuzzling her neck under her ear. “So now, movie and ice cream?”

“I think once in a while you have a great idea,” she replied.

**Author's Note:**

> The story about Meryl being sick in January is not yet finished.


End file.
